KISS at Mountain Laurel CenterPhotos by Brian Hineline/Special to The Morning Call

That was apparent Wednesday when the fire- breathing, blood-spitting bad boy band of yore reopened Mountain Laurel Performing Arts Center in Bushkill, Pike County, after a four-year closure.

It was evident in the number of children in the crowd, which promoters estimated at 7,000 in the 10,000-capacity venue.

But it also was evident in the 18-song, hour-and-45-minute show.

Truth is, KISS always has put on a far better show than a concert, and that continued to be true Wednesday. The show included more than three dozen explosion blasts plus fireworks, showers of sparks, flame pillars and blasts (more than two dozen each on both “Detroit Rock City” and “Lick It Up”).

The opening song, “Modern Day Delilah,” both started and ended with explosions.

And the band’s members also put on quite a show.

Of course there was Gene Simmons’ expected (but still no less entertaining) fire breathing on “Firehouse” and blood spitting on a four-minute introduction to “God of Thunder.” On the latter, Simmons, alone and bathed in green light and stage fog, plucked his bass and wagged his tongue to send the blood flying. He then sang – or, more precisely, croaked – the song.

Guitarist Tommy Thayer shot sparks from the front of his instrument on “Shock Me,” which he also sang, acquitting himself well as a song that was belonged to original guitarist Ace Frehley. Thayer’s guitar also levitated during the song. On “Black Diamond,” he played from his knees. (At the end of that song, Simmons stood with his dragon-faced platform boot resting on a woman’s head.)

Singer Paul Stanly spent much of the night mugging for the crowd, jumping impressively despite his 59 years, and turning around to wiggle his butt on songs such as “Deuce.” He also tossed dozens of guitar picks to the crowd, including at least one off his tongue.

And all three guitarists on several occasions lined up at the front of the stage to play in unison on “Cold Gin” and other songs.

But was the fact that KISS concerts now have become mainstream for better or worse?

The band is still musically good, if not as impressive as it once was. Thayer is an impressively fast guitarist. Drummer Eric Singer was proficient, and did OK singing the band’s biggest hit, “Beth,” with which the whole crowd sang along. And “Detroit Rock City” and “Love Gun” still rocked.

But Stanley’s voice has clearly aged, and some of the band’s songs have not aged well. “Say Yeah,” “Black Diamond” and “Cold Gin” all sounded dated. “Calling Dr. Love” was far less threatening than it once was. Even KISS’s vaunted sexual innuendo seems mild or muted enough for families.

And on “Shock Me,” both Simmons and Stanley left the stage entirely for nearly 10 minutes as Thayer and Singer played solos.

But “Do You Love Me,” was the best non-encore (more on that later) of the night. Nice and melodic, it sounded fresh.

But the encore demonstrated why the crowd still loves KISS so – and clearly the crowd, which cheered heartily most of the night -- did.

“Shout It Out Loud,” building, soaring and begging for a sing-along, is a song most bands would kill to have as a closer, and KISS played it excellently.

But they have an even better song with which to close – “Rock and Roll All Nite,” and they played it for all it was worth: stretching it five minutes with a confetti shower so think you literally couldn’t see the stage, spinners of sparks, explosions, fire and Stanley smashing his guitar.

Just clean family fun.

Some notes on the reopening of Mountain Laurel Center for the Arts:

Despite the healthy crowd, traffic that was so problematic for shows at the venue four years ago was nearly non-existent Wednesday. That was probably thanks in a large part to promoters’ great ides of having pre-concert activities starting at 4 p.m. to encourage early arrivals. At 7 p.m., there was no traffic backup at all until just a quarter-mile outside the parking lot on Bushkill Falls Road, and it was only a five-minute delay. Once at the venue, it took another five minutes to park. A relative blink in concert-venue terms.

Food at the venue was reasonable. Chicken fingers, fries and a drink cost $12.

Even on a hot day, by show time, with the sun set and a breeze kicking up, it was cool enough to make long sleeves comfortable.

The venue’s next shows are Larry the Cable Guy on Aug. 6 and ZZ Top on Aug. 20.

DO YOU LOVE ME is a classic from 1976's DESTROYER....SAY YEAH is a new song from 2009's SONIC BOOM. Stanley's voice is in remarkable form and is richer than ever...but man, you try screeching out these tracks every night for two months and not have some strain...this show finds the band 3/4 way through their summer tour...

Posted By: Chris Alexander | Jul 15, 2011 9:37:36 AM

"Strutter" is one of the top 5 songs of the '70s--the rest of their stuff is a snooze.

Posted By: YY Wicki | Jul 15, 2011 3:41:49 PM

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JOHN J. MOSER has been around long enough to have seen the original Ramones in a small club in New Jersey, U2 from the fourth row of a theater and Bob Dylan's born-again tours. But he also has the number for All-American Rejects' Nick Wheeler on his cell phone, wrote the first story ever done on Jack's Mannequin and hung out in Wiz Khalifa's hotel room.

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS

JODI DUCKETT: As The Morning Call's assistant features editor responsible for entertainment, she spends a lot of time surveying the music landscape and sizing up the Valley's festivals and club scene. She's no expert, but enjoys it all — especially artists who resonated in her younger years, such as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Tracy Chapman, Santana and Joni Mitchell.

KATHY LAUER-WILLIAMS enjoys all types of music, from roots rock and folk to classical and opera. Music has been a constant backdrop to her life since she first sat on the steps listening to her mother’s Broadway LPs when she was 2. Since becoming a mother herself, she has become well-versed on the growing genre of kindie rock and, with her son in tow, can boast she has seen a majority of the current kid’s performers from Dan Zanes to They Might Be Giants.

STEPHANIE SIGAFOOS: A Jersey native raised in Northeast PA, she was reared in a house littered with 8-tracks, 45s and cassette tapes of The Beatles, Elvis, Meatloaf and Billy Joel. She also grew up on the sounds of Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw and can be found traversing the countryside in search of the sounds of a steel guitar. A fan of today's 'new country,' she digs mainstream/country-pop crossovers like Lady Antebellum and Sugarland and other artists that illustrate the genre's diversity.